Advisory board backs lead‑generation contractor to boost Fort Myers business recruitment

The Fort Myers Economic Development Advisory Board voted Oct. 2 to support a lead‑generation contracting approach to help the city find and recruit businesses.

During the meeting, Economic Development Director Steve Weathers described vendor options and budget constraints, saying the department’s budget is “around 300,000” for the year and outlining two vendor models the board had reviewed: a Retail Strategies proposal at $50,000 a year under a three‑year agreement, and another lead‑generation option priced near $75,000. Weathers said staff preferred an approach that produced measurable leads the city could work and scale from.

Dwayne, who presented the board’s demonstration of a ChatGPT‑based summarizer, moved the recommendation: “I’d like to make a motion that this board support a lead gen process for our economic developer director of economic development.” The motion was seconded and the board voted in favor.

Weathers said he will send the vendors’ proposals and supporting materials to the clerk for distribution and asked board members to discuss the plan with their respective council liaisons before the next meeting so the board can return with a clearer sense of council support. He noted that any agreement for contracted services would ultimately be vetted by legal and require council or manager approval depending on the contracting pathway.

Next steps include distribution of the proposals to board members, one‑on‑one outreach to council members to build political support, and a potential workshop or council agenda item if leadership requests more detail.